This first drawing is of my two friends Manny and Janet (aka Manet) done one night when we were all playing games and laughing and having a good time. As you can see, I did not exactly capture the joy of the evening.
When Janet saw this she said, “Oh that must have been right before we committed double suicide.”
Since then I have tried to focus more on capturing facial expressions, which is something I find very difficult to do. Expressions are very fleeting and constantly changing.
When someone laughs or smiles or talks it doesn’t just involve their mouth. Their entire face changes shape with each new expression. The eyes, eyebrows, cheekbones, everything is affected. And when a person turns their head, even just slightly, everything changes again.
In order to capture an expression you really have to just take a picture with your mind and then try to sketch it out as close to that memory as possible.
Here is another drawing of Manet (along with my other friends Demis and Nicole) from another night when we were all laughing and playing games and having a good time.
I still haven’t captured the spirit of the evening, but at least these guys don’t look suicidal. And Janet has given her stamp of approval, which of course is the highest honor of all.
sketchbookfactory 